The Houston Texans are in the middle of the pack when it comes to rush offense in the NFL, which is something they weren’t sure they’d achieve when starting running back Joe Mixon injured his foot in the offseason.
Mixon didn’t participate in training camp and has been out all season, so the Texans have relied on a backfield tandem of late offseason signee Nick Chubb and fourth-round rookie Woody Marks through the first quarter of the 2025 season—a pairing that has held up fairly well so far.
Through five weeks, Chubb has emerged as the clear leader of the Texans’ backfield, pacing the team in carries, rushing yards, touchdowns, and snaps—all while displaying noticeable improvement from his final season with the Cleveland Browns in 2024.
The Texans currently sit 16th in total rushing yards (581) and 17th in yards per attempt (4.4). This season, Chubb has totaled 249 yards on 58 carries, averaging 4.3 yards per rush with two touchdowns. That marks a notable improvement from last year in Cleveland, when he averaged just 3.3 yards per carry.
GettyHOUSTON, TEXAS – SEPTEMBER 28: Nick Chubb #21 of the Houston Texans takes the field during player introductions before the game against the Tennessee Titans at NRG Stadium on September 28, 2025 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Alex Slitz/Getty Images)
Nick Caserio Priases Nick Chubb in Interview
“Nick’s a very efficient runner. He’s very instinctive. He has good vision. He’s got good balance,” Caserio said in an interview with Texans radio. “He’s got good playing strength, and usually going forward. So there haven’t been a lot of negative runs with him on the field.”
Chubb, who spent his first seven seasons in Cleveland, once rushed for more than 1,500 yards in 2022. After tearing his MCL and ACL, his production dropped when he finally returned from injury. He signed a one-year $2.5 million contract with the Texans in June.
“Nick’s been nothing but a pro,” Caserio said. “We got him little bit late to the team, in June, so training camp was his first opportunity to assimilate to some of the things that we’re doing.”
Woody Marks Making Great First Impression
Caserio added that Chubb and Marks have “complimented” each other well in the run game through the first five weeks.
The Texans’ ground game has largely run through Chubb on early downs, where he serves as the power back and routinely handles 10 or more carries per game. Meanwhile, Marks complements him as a dynamic pass-catching option out of the backfield, capable of generating explosive chunk plays. Together, the Chubb–Marks duo has kept Houston’s rushing attack steady and reliable.
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